In a major achievement, India on Friday became a permanent signatory to the Washington Accord, paving the way for more global mobility and employment avenues for engineers.
This was decided at a meeting of the International Engineering Alliance, the secretariat of the Washington Accord in Wellington, New Zealand. The summit had begun on June 9, and on the last day, June 13, all 15 signatory nations voted in favour of India. Sri Lanka too was accorded membership.

“Graduates having degrees, which have been so accredited, would have substantial international equivalence of their achievement levels across the signatory nations. This will substantially enhance their employment opportunities around the world,” the minister added.

The membership of Washington Accord is an international recognition of the quality of accreditation processes of undergraduate engineering education, and is an avenue to bring undergraduate education at par with international standards. Now, degrees awarded by institutions authorised by India’s National Board of Accreditation (NBA) would be recognised by all Washington Accord member nations.

Dr Surendra Prasad, chairman, NBA, told HT from New Zealand: “A three-member team visited in December 2013 and January 2014 to observe our accreditation systems and practices. At that time, they accompanied the Indian reviewers who visited NIT Trichy and BMS College of Engineering. The report submitted by this team was the basis for the decision.”

The Washington Accord, established in 1989, is an international agreement among bodies responsible for accrediting engineering degree programmes. It recognises the substantial equivalency of courses certified by those bodies, and recommends that graduates of programmes endorsed by any of the signatory agencies be recognised by the other bodies as having met the academic requirements for entry to the practice of engineering.http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryP...29262.aspx?s=p

This seems to be good news for the millions of students and job seekers. I am sure that not all the institutes will fall under this category but the institutes with some minimum NAAC requirements. Will wait for the details.

But does it also mean that the engineers from other signatory countries will be able to apply for jobs in India ?

__________________Nietzsche (1887) : God is deadGod (1900) : Nietzsche is dead -----------------------------------------
I will not be hurried and I will not be bullied

NEW DELHI: After years of effort and several failures, India finally became the 17th member of the exclusive Washington Accord on Friday. It will help create equivalence of engineering degree programmes and allow Indians to practice engineering in other member countries.

The credit for making India a member of Washington Accord goes to many individuals who worked behind the scenes for years. Among them are Raman Menon Unnikrishnan of California State University, Fullerton, who pleaded India's case along with former National Board of Accreditation (NBA) member secretary Dinesh K Paliwal and education secretary Ashok Thakur.

Paliwal was responsible for organizing the World Summit on Accreditation in 2012 that was used for backroom diplomacy to allay fears about the Indian system. The process of accreditation had started during late Arjun Singh's tenure as HRD minister. During Kapil Sibal's time, India was made a temporary member. In January, a comprehensive audit of NBA was undertaken by the Washington Accord team.

Washington Accord will, however, not be valid for IT engineers. India will have to sign the Seoul Accord to create similar equivalence of programmes. Becoming part of Washington Accord also does not necessarily mean that all engineering degrees by all Indian colleges will get equivalence with those of other member countries. NBA has shortlisted 220-odd engineering colleges as Tier-I institutes whose undergraduate engineering programme is in tune with what is required under the Accord.

So we will have some non cycber coolies also now to be seen in the LOO (Land of Opportunity or Ex Land of Opportunity). Anyway, you will see some upmteen colleges in Hyderabad advertising that their degrees can get one a Job in US.

__________________
This is quite a game, politics. There are no permanent enemies, and no permanent friends,only permanent interests. - Some Firang

I always fought with people when they say that people from Hyderabad fake left right and center in their resumes until I received a tight slap (not literally) on my face.
A girl, young girl from Hyderabad, divorced, struggling to make ends meet emailed me her resume with excellent skills. She comes through my dad's recommendation and that should have a been a red flag right there. But anyway, I referred her to my company and she got a job.

She had faked so badly in her resume that I got called in by department head asking/saying how could I recommend someone like that when she couldn't even do simple vlookup's in excel. I apologized.

never again am I recommending someone from Hyderabad! I know, not all are like that but I am not taking any chance.

I always fought with people when they say that people from Hyderabad fake left right and center in their resumes until I received a tight slap (not literally) on my face.
A girl, young girl from Hyderabad, divorced, struggling to make ends meet emailed me her resume with excellent skills. She comes through my dad's recommendation and that should have a been a red flag right there. But anyway, I referred her to my company and she got a job.

She had faked so badly in her resume that I got called in by department head asking/saying how could I recommend someone like that when she couldn't even do simple vlookup's in excel. I apologized.

never again am I recommending someone from Hyderabad! I know, not all are like that but I am not taking any chance.

And their degrees will provide a certificate saying 'Thirty years experience in SAP/PeopleSoft/Choose latest ERP with Oracle databse size over 50 GB'

You should see some resumes ....

An inexperienced individual must never fake more than 6 months experience.His/Her performance at the job will show his/her level of experience in no time & then suffer the fate if the girl at Aashika's conpany & get dismissed with a bad reputation.His age will also be a exposer & deal - broker. yaar, how will a 30 year old individual show more than 12 years of Exp.?(when he/she is supposed to complete degree around age of 21/22.)

Its not about hyderbad only, but in every major cites of india, people struggling to land a good job may try such bad things. Aashika, next time just try to take a skill test or investigate the genuine existance of previous employer & his/ her reputation at last employment.

This seems to be good news for the millions of students and job seekers. I am sure that not all the institutes will fall under this category but the institutes with some minimum NAAC requirements. Will wait for the details.

But does it also mean that the engineers from other signatory countries will be able to apply for jobs in India ?